Right-hander Brandon Woodruff, the longest-tenured player on the Milwaukee Brewers, has made the club's World Series roster. Woodruff has not pitched in an MLB game since July 4 due to what was initially considered a severe shoulder injury, though he showed enough improvement in August to begin a throwing program. Game 1 of the Fall Classic between the Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays is set for Friday night in Milwaukee.
"We know who the kid is. We know his -- that it's not going to be too much for him. This is what this kid's all about. He's been around here for ten years or whatever, and we've understood it. We feel like there's a window where he can help us," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said on Friday.
"That was the whole decision. This isn't a, 'wow, we love Woody, he's great for the organization' -- because he already said to us, I don't want to be a sympathy pick. I want to be a pick because I can help the team. Then you go through all the things and say, can he help us? The answer is yes, he can definitely help us."
Now 33, Woodruff made nine effective starts prior to the shoulder injury this season. He missed the entire 2024 season after having surgery on his shoulder, returned to make 12 starts in 2025, and then was on the Opening Day roster this year. It was initially feared that Woodruff would require another surgery in July. That ultimately was not the case.
Murphy acknowledged the roster rules would play a role in carrying Woodruff on the World Series roster. Injured players can be replaced on the postseason roster if they suffer a new injury. By rule, the Brewers would not be able to replace Woodruff if he suffers a setback and re-injures his shoulder. They're gambling that his shoulder will hold up.
"I didn't want this to be a charity pick," Woodruff said on Friday. "That was important to me. I wanted to feel like I could -- I wanted to be on the roster because I felt like I could help win. So I did not want this to be part of the decision."
Woodruff said he met with Murphy and president of baseball operations Matt Arnold on Thursday before the final decision was made.
"It didn't really hit me," he said of the call from Murphy to tell him he'd made the roster. "I was kind of like thank you for the opportunity and, basically, let's go win this thing. That was pretty much the extent of the conversation. It was like they've got work to do, I've got a job to do to mentally prepare, and I just thanked them. That was pretty much it, yeah."
During his nine starts this season, Woodruff pitched to a 2.98 ERA with 47 strikeouts and only nine unintentional walks in 45 ⅓ innings. At times, his fastball clocked as high as 96.0 mph. There were also times when he sat in the upper 80s. The movement traits on his fastball remain terrific, allowing it to play at reduced velocity.
It is unknown how the Brewers intend to use Woodruff, though it seems likely he won't be much more than a one- or two-inning option given the injury and long layoff. Truth be told, he may only see the mound in a blowout. Regardless, the Brewers consider him healthy enough to contribute in some capacity. Woodruff, who has spent his entire MLB career with the Brewers after debuting in 2017, replaced right-hander Chad Patrick on the roster. Patrick was on the NLDS and NLCS rosters, but did not pitch.
Game 1 of the World Series will be played Friday night at American Family Field in Milwaukee. Both the Brewers and Rays are seeking their first-ever championship. National League Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski will start for the Brewers, while the Rays counter with Nick Martinez -- a somewhat unexpected choice.
